Album Review: The Mavericks – In Time

The first time I heard The Mavericks I was sitting in my car listening to my favorite radio station WFUV, and couldn’t believe my ears. It was a hybrid of sounds, that was joyously complex, melting both the old and the

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new, and the “North” and the “South”.

After a seven-year stretch of no music, The Mavericks have ironically come back with the album “In Time”. It truly was only time that changed since their last album, maintaining their original and unique sound that can only be descried as The Mavericks. Raul Malo’s vocals exudes sex and desire, track after track with his Elvis and Ray Orbison like sound. With the accompaniment of a Ska strumming guitar, Latin brass section and great harmonies, the Mavericks surely are not to be reckoned with.

As you may know, I cover country music here on Manhattan Digest. When you listen to this album you may say to yourself, just as I did, “That can’t just be country, can it?” The truth is, it’s not, The Mavericks are so versatile, they can’t be labeled under just one genre. Their span of style covers Country, Ska, Rock and Banda. Banda you ask me, Banda is a type of music that is brass based, mostly Mexican, and has had a large presence in Mexican Pop.

I spoke with others and asked their opinion on what genre they thought it fit under. After different answers it finally clicked, The Mavericks. That’s what they are, mavericks, “One that refuses to abide by the dictates of or resists adherence to a group.” The definition itself sounds a bit abrasive, but because of this characteristic they have created a real name for themselves.

With tracks like “Back In Your Arms Again,” and “Born To Be Blue,” the desire to to soulfully sing along is turned all the way up on the dial. The tracks not only want to make you sing but dance as well. During the demanding yet convincing track “Come Unto Me,” my passion to dance the Rumba throws chills from my neck to my feet. I had even brought the track to my dance class where others agreed that the song bled sexuality and masculinity. There is a soft side to The Mavericks as well, during “Forgive Me” Raul Malo masters his vocals, gliding whimsically through lyrics of repent and yearning while accompanied by the tip-toeing of the piano.

If I had the convincing power to make you all by one album that I have wrote about thus far, this would be it. It may have been a long time since The Mavericks have come together to put out an album, but it goes to show good music can not be rushed, and it will come “In Time.”